On his birthday, Walter Sparrow, a lovable dog catcher, makes a call that causes him to arrive late and late to pick up his wife. She browsed into a book later, finding a novel covered in red, a murder mystery with numerology constantly looping around the number 23. The story captivates Walter: He dreams, he He notices aspects of his life that can be rendered by 23, He searches for the author, he stays at the hotel (in room 23) where the events in the novel take place, and he we begin to believe that it is not a novel. His wife and son try to help him, sometimes in sympathy, sometimes to protect him. Gradually, at the risk to himself and his family, he aimed for the truth.